Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

Tarik Cohen – PPR

Tarik Cohen is going to be a major cog in the Bears’ offense. He had 5 carries for 66 yards, along with 8 catches on 12 targets for 47 yards and a TD. With Kevin White breaking his collarbone, expect Cohen to work his way into the main pass catcher in this offense. The wide receivers hardly got any work until the 2-minute hurry up in the 4th quarter while trying to make a comeback, so I don’t want to pick any of them up. Dion Sims and Zach Miller were both involved, and neither stood out. I also wouldn’t worry if I was a Jordan Howard owner. Cohen actually gives the Bears a better chance of making it to the goal line and gives Howard a nice change of pace for better efficiency. Howard will still get most early down work and see a ton of third downs for protection purposes, so he will still be on the field most of the time. We can also see Cohen line up as a WR with Howard in the backfield. Howard still had a good game; this will be a nice 1-2 bunch for the Bears. His nickname is the “human joystick”, and we should also see his skills on display on punt returns. Benny Cunningham got carted off, so Cohen should take over whatever role was expected for him as well. Keep in mind that Atlanta was 25th DVOA in defending pass-catching RBs last year, so don’t expect this type of performance every week.

Nelson Agholor – PPR

Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz were Carson Wentz’s favorite targets on Sunday, giving each of them 8 targets. Agholor caught 6 of them for 86 yards and a TD. This is a high-volume passing offense, and it seems like Agholor has improved a ton and is the permanent slot receiver for this team. Wentz likes looking in the middle of the field and I expect Agholor to remain one of his favorite targets. Agholor is a great add to any team in a PPR league. He can be a solid WR3 or flex option most weeks in PPR leagues, especially if he’s getting that type of target volume.

Kenny Golladay

Kenny Golladay continued the flashes he showed during the preseason and hauled in two tough catches for TDs on Sunday from Matthew Stafford. He caught 4 passes on 7 targets for 69 yards along with those 2 TDs. Don’t expect Golladay to get gaudy target numbers with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones in the fold, but Stafford will look for Golladay in the end zone; he can go up and grab it like the best of them. Golladay has a high ceiling, and we’ve seen how much Stafford will trust a guy who can bring down those tough catches. Golladay isn’t necessarily a must-start next week as he only played on 44 snaps, but he’s a guy to hold on your roster for the potential upside.

Buck Allen – PPR

With the 2017 edition of the annual Danny Woodhead injury, Javorius “Buck” Allen should pick up with Woodhead left off. Allen is a far superior pass-catcher than Terrance West, and these two will share the field for the foreseeable future. Joe Flacco loves to check it down to his RBs, so Buck Allen should have plenty of fantasy relevance in PPR leagues. Flacco didn’t need to check it down in Week 1 because the Ravens were dominating the Bengals; Terrance West and Buck Allen combined for 40 carries (split 19, 21 respectively). If you’re in need of RB depth or a flex, I would definitely try to aim for Allen.

Charles Clay

The Bills’ offense is running through LeSean McCoy and Charles Clay. Clay had 9 targets, caught 4 of them for 43 yards and a TD. This isn’t the best offense, but Clay should continue to get decent target share. No other option besides these two had more than 4 targets, including Zay Jones and Jordan Matthews. Clay had 4 TDs in the last 4 weeks of 2016, and he is continued to be favored by Tyrod Taylor. Pick him up if you have a need at TE.

Cooper Kupp – PPR

Cooper Kupp and Todd Gurley led the Rams in targets with 6. He caught 4 of them for 76 yards and a TD.Kupp had a good preseason, and the rapport seems to be continuing into the regular season. I would pick Kupp up as high-floor PPR asset, as he seems to be the guy Jared Goff favors.

Kerwynn Williams

You might be wondering why I don’t have Kerwynn Williams near the top of this list. Even if David Johnson is out for a significant period of time with that wrist injury, I just don’t think this offense is that good without him. Williams would be TD dependent because of Andre Ellington’s use in the passing game, and this offense doesn’t make me want to buy a TD dependent back. I rather have Buck Allen in a PPR league who can actually get me a solid floor. Williams can have a decent game, but I don’t expect him to handle a big workload, be efficient, or get enough goal line opportunities. If you need RB depth though, Williams is an add, but just keep in mind that the range of outcomes of the one-dimension RB are very real; see Rob Kelley in Week 1. Stay tuned to the David Johnson injury in the days to come.

Jermaine Kearse – PPR

Jermaine Kearse led the Jets with 9 targets, and he caught 7 of them for 59 yards. He’s another high-floor PPR receiver that might help you in your flex position. Don’t expect much firepower out of this offense, and only expect a decent target volume. McCown didn’t take that many chances in this game, so I wouldn’t go spending too much for Kearse or a near-top waiver priority pick.

Paul Richardson

The Seahawks’ offense couldn’t get anything going in Green Bay on Sunday. It was a surprise considering the lack of starting caliber players in the Packers’ secondary, but the offensive line couldn’t give Russell Wilson any time to do anything. Their running game was non-existent as well. However, we have to expect the Seahawks to make adjustments, and with a healthy Russell Wilson we can see them get back to form. Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham led the team with 7 targets, and P-Rich caught 4 of them for 59 yards. That’s a healthy target share, considering Wilson only threw it 27 times. Richardson showed his ability, and can still be someone who can shine in this offense now that he has the opportunity. He’s not necessarily a start next week, but a hold to see what his upside actually is.

Marqise Lee/Allen Hurns

With Allen Robinson’s ACL tear, one of these receivers will have to step up, but who is it going to be? Marqise Lee was the guy last year while Hurns was dealing with some injuries, but we saw a real connection between Hurns and Bortles in 2015. Lee disappeared on Sunday and Hurns had caught 3 of 4 targets for 42 yards. As far as Lee goes, you might be able to get him without spending any money or burning your waiver position, since he didn’t even show up in the box score. I think if you’re looking for a PPR asset with a decent floor, it would end up being Lee. If you’re in a standard league, Hurns is better for those big plays. Either way, this wasn’t a good offense with Allen Robinson, and it definitely didn’t get better now that he’s out for the season.